In the post-apocalyptic biblical thriller "The Book of Eli," Denzel Washington plays a blind man who feels he's been called by God to carry the last remaining copy of the Bible across the country. Is "The Book of Eli" an engrossing tale about the power of faith or a cartoonish, exploitative distortion of Christianity? (Watch "The Book of Eli" movie trailer)

But there's more violence than values: Devout filmgoers will soon realize that "the brand of Christianity on display in 'Eli' is as warped as they come," says S.E. Cupp in the New York Daily News. Washington’s character is a "crusader" who defends the Bible by "beheading, stabbing, shooting and head-butting" anyone who gets in his way. Only "violent, fundamentalist" Christians will relate to this "Hollywood caricature.""How Hollywood begat another insult to Christianity"

The movie's strange agenda ultimately fails: Those hoping for an action thriller with "a little bit of Christianity" are unlikely to be "satisfied" by the Book of Eli, says Josh Tyler at Cinemablend. The movie uses "empty religious propaganda" as a "clumsy" plot device. The end result is a "meaningless" film that insults both the faith of true believers — and the intelligence of secular filmgoers."'The Book of Eli' movie review"